1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to mechanical harvesters for use in harvesting crops. More specifically, the present invention relates to such harvesters that may be moved along the ground and which are particularly suitable for harvesting bulb crops such as onions, beets, radishes, turnips, garlic and the like. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to such mechanical harvesters that are able to separate the useful crop from its associated plant material, such as roots and tops, and place the processed crop into bags or sacks.
2. Background
As is well known, the harvesting of bulb crops such as onions, beets, radishes, turnips, garlic and the like (also collectively referred to herein as xe2x80x9conionsxe2x80x9d) present particular problems that make harvesting of such crops more difficult and expensive than many other types of crops. Typically, the useful bulb portion of these crops grow in the soil with roots growing down from the useful portion and top plant material growing upward above the soil. To harvest the crops, the entire plant must first be extracted from the ground and then the roots and tops must be cut off. Harvesting these crops by hand is a very expensive, labor intensive process requiring a significant number of laborers to extract the crops and then separate the bulb from the roots and tops. As a result, mechanical harvesters for harvesting these crops have been in use for a number of years. Unfortunately, many of the mechanical harvesters have had problems with nicking, cutting or bruising of the bulb or failing to cut-off the roots and tops in the proper location relative to the bulb (in those machines which are even configured to cut-off both roots and tops).
In regards to the previous onion field harvesting machines that are configured to extract onions and remove the tops and roots therefrom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,589 to Hagiz on Feb. 15, 1983, U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,296 to Kruithoff on Jun. 28, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,549 to Shuff on Mar. 30, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,634 to Saito on Nov. 15, 1994, and others disclose various methods of air flow generation and direction to orient the onion tops and roots in a manner such that they may be severed from the onion bulb. In the inventions listed above the onions are removed from the soil by a conveyor apparatus and then positioned by various means of air flow generation and direction so as to direct the tops and roots into severing devices that shear or cut the onion appendages by mechanisms having rotating or reciprocating blades. These prior mechanical harvesters have achieved some degree of success. However, because onions do not grow uniformly and typically vary in size, shape and bulb diameter, mechanical harvesters that utilize air flow generators to orientate the bulb for cutting generally are only partially effective at cutting tops and roots at uniform lengths. Often the onions harvested by these machines require the onions to be topped by use of an additional device prior to the harvesting operation, require the tops of the onions be significantly dried out prior to harvest, or require additional manual trimming and clipping prior to the curing and/or grading processes.
Other bulb or root crop harvesting machines use gathering mounts and lifting frame assemblies to convey the crops by their leafy appendages to various cutting devices that separate the leafy materials and the roots from the useful crop. U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,257 to Mortensen and Browning on Nov. 6, 1979, as well as many earlier patents, disclose such root crop harvesters of this nature. These devices rely on the lifter assemblies to convey the vegetables up through the severing devices in order to accomplish the leafy material separation. The patent to Spiegel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,368,895 dated Feb. 6, 1945, discloses a carrot and onion harvester. As is typical with the Mortensen and Browning root crop harvester the topping bar assemblies are well known in the art and are widely described as to form and function. Although the topping bar assemblies are very successful at removing the tops by a crimping or pinching action, these, devices typically result in a less than clean severed cut at the ends of the leaves and the top of the root crop. Such cuts are typically less desirable or not acceptable for fresh market onions due to the unfinished appearance of the onion bulb.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,589 to Hagiz on Feb. 15, 1983, U.S.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,909 to Lauridsen on Aug. 10, 1971, and others disclose machines for harvesting onions and the like having various lifting and cutting mechanisms that also utilize bagging or sacking devices for placing the finished product directly in the bag or sack for market. These bagging or sacking devices typically employ delivery devices consisting of upright chutes or collection bins that collect topped onions for later placement into sacks or bags. By design, these chutes and bins are used to direct the onions. As a result, they provide numerous opportunities for damage to occur to the onion from onion to onion and onion to machine contact. Mechanical damage or excessive bruising is not acceptable for fresh market onions and can be a market or cosmetic defect that lowers the price and reduces the marketability of the onions, thereby causing economic loss to either or both the harvester and grower. In addition, the mechanical damage is often a pathway for pathogens to enter the bulb of the onion.
It can be appreciated, therefore, that what is needed is a mechanical harvester for harvesting bulb crops, particularly onions, that effectively and efficiently harvests the onions from the field and provides for improved culling and cutting of the onions, particularly the removal of the tops and roots. The desirable harvester would reduce the amount time and labor necessary to harvest onions and be suitable for harvesting onions when the tops are still green (requiring less field drying time). To accomplish this, the desired harvester should not rely on blown air to orientate the onion for cutting.
The mechanical harvester for harvesting onions of the present invention solves the problems and provides the benefits identified above. That is to say, the present invention provides a harvester for harvesting onions that results in improved extraction of the onions from the field, improved removal of the unwanted root and top portions from the onion and placement of the cut onions in bags or sacks, while substantially reducing the amount of time and labor necessary to harvest the onions.
In the primary embodiment of the present invention, the harvester of the present invention primarily comprises a harvester frame, comprised of a plurality of frame members, having a top portion and a pair of opposing sides. The harvester is suitable for being towed behind a tractor or other apparatus or for being modified to be self-propelled. At the front end of the harvester is a crop extracting mechanism comprising a lifting bar for extracting the onions from the field and flapper wheel for coaxing the onions into a one or more conveyor assemblies. In the preferred embodiment, the flapper wheel first assists in the placement of onions on a lifting conveyor assembly and then on an inclined elevator assembly, each of which has a conveyor system that allows small, unmarketable onions and any debris to fall through the conveyor onto the ground below the harvester. The lifting conveyor assembly is hydraulically connected to the frame so that the operator of the unit can raise or lower the lifting assembly so as to transport the harvester between fields and/or to place the lifting bar on the upper portion of the soil when harvesting. The conveyor systems deliver the onion plants to a cutting assembly which removes the roots and tops from the onion bulb. After cutting, the onions are transported rearward to an inspection assembly for final culling of unmarketable onions and debris and then to a sacking assembly where the onion bulbs are placed in burlap or like sacks.
The cutting assembly of the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of roller bar cutters connected at opposing ends to an upper bearing block assembly and a lower bearing block assembly. A hydraulic motor powers the cutting assembly to rotate the roller bar cutters. In the preferred embodiment, the roller bar cutters are grouped in sets, each set having at least a pair of roller bar cutters that rotate in opposite directions to each other. Preferably, the roller bar cutters rotate in a generally flat elliptical path to provide a more even upper compound surface to minimize the surface damage to the onions. The roller bars have a leading edge which is shaped and configured to a sharp angle to further facilitate cutting the onions without harming the onions. The cutting assembly of the preferred embodiment also includes a topping length limiting device that extends the entire length of the roller bar cutters to limit how short the top leafage is cut relative to the top of the onion. Channeling and deflecting devices are utilized to funnel the onions to the optimum location for cutting and to deflect the cut waste materials away from the harvester and the onions to the rear of the harvester for inspection and sacking.
To further facilitate the inspection, culling of onion plants and debris and sacking operations, the harvester has one or more platforms attached to the sides or back end for workers to stand on while the harvester is pulled or driven through the field. In the preferred embodiment, the harvester has three sets of platforms, two along both sides and one along the back end. The side platforms are utilized for removing debris and inspecting the cut onions and for assisting the cutting of the onions. The rear platform is utilized for the sacking operation. For ease of use, the rear platform can raise or lower by use of a hydraulic ram assembly.
Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a mechanical harvester for harvesting onions having the features generally described above and more specifically described below in the detailed description.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a mechanical harvester that effectively and efficiently harvests onions from the field, cuts the tops and roots off of the onions and places the onions into bags or sacks.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a mechanical harvester that extracts onions from the field, cuts the roots and tops off the onions, provides for culling and inspection of the onions and has the ability to place the cut onions in a sack.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a mechanical harvester where the length of the residual top of the onion is controlled in reference to the shoulder of each bulb, where the length of residual top is the same for each bulb, and where the tops may be trimmed to a desirably short length without damaging the bulbs.
Yet another important objective of the present invention is to provide a mechanical harvester that utilizes a plurality of roller bar cutters that rotate in a generally elliptical path so as to cut the tops off of onions without damaging the onions.
The above and other objectives of the present invention will be explained in greater detail by reference to the attached figures and the description of the preferred embodiment which follows. As set forth herein, the present invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, mode of operation and combination of parts presently described and understood by the claims.